Heavy In Your Arms
by mecherry
Summary: Every Hobbit knows that those from Hobbiton and Pincup don't mix well. Needless to say, Lila isn't happy to stumble across Merry in the woods. Little does she know how it will turn out. Not 10th walker. Frodo/OC, no slash, pre-quest. Full sum inside.
1. Prologue

BOOK ONE

~ LIGHT ~

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><p><em>.Prologue.<em>

Screams.

That's the first thing she registered. She couldn't even open her eyes, and all she could see was black, but she could definitely hear the screams. She listened harder, and heard footsteps, lots of them, rushing around her. Murmurs, people talking and crying out hysterically - but she couldn't make out what they were saying. It was all so jumbled together.

She tried, unsuccessfully, to open her eyes. Her lids seemed glued together, and she let out a groan of frustration.

And then, it hit her. The pain in her stomach. The damp moisture spreading across her body, and she wanted it to end, she wanted the pain to be taken away in some way, if there was only a way for it to end...she groaned again, and this time, she heard herself.

Somebody else must have heard it too. "Is she alive?" she heard a panicked voice say.

"What happened?" another voice asked.

"Where did he go?" a female voice demanded, and though she was in so much pain it was unbearable, that she wished she were dead, she felt herself relax the tiniest bit at this voice. Her mother. Her mother was here, and she had found her. Her mother's words seemed to come at her through a long, thick haze of pain, and when they finally reached her, her thoughts spiraled out of control.

Where was _he_?

Wasn't that the whole reason she had been out here alone, in the first place? The whole reason this had happened? She had been chasing after _him._

But then - what had happened to her now? She couldn't remember why she was bleeding so profusely; she had no memory of what had happened to her in between chasing him and when she started hearing the screams. Her mother's voice came at her again, brisk and fierce. "Lila!"

Her eyes snapped open, and she took in her mother's face, pale and ghostly white hovering over her. There were people moving all around, but they were blurred. The pain in her body became worse.

"Lila, you're going to be fine," she promised quickly. Two hobbits lads had moved next to her; they were kneeling above her as well, right next to her mother. "And we'll find him, Lila. Don't you worry. We'll find him."

Find him? They were going to help me find _him_?

No...

She didn't mean _him_. Because _he_ was...she didn't even want to think the word. She didn't want to feel that right now, to know that he had left and was gone; not when the pain from her physical wounds was almost killing her. But if they weren't looking for _him_...then who?

"Find who?" she cried out, frustrated, yelping in pain as two of the hobbit lads picked her up to support her weight. Tears rolled down her face with the effort of not crying out every second as they began to walk her somewhere, quickly.

Her mother ran alongside them. "The man who did this to you, Lila," she said. "Do you remember what he looks like?"

And suddenly, she remembered exactly what had happened. Everything came rushing back to her with such perfect clarity that she began to cough, and the lad carrying her, knowing what was about to happen, moved his arms ever so slightly so that she wouldn't throw up all over him, but on the ground instead.

The pain in her stomach doubled. And then she remembered something much, much more horrifying, another reason why she couldn't be bleeding right now, not this badly; they _needed_ to fix her, now, because if they didn't...unless it was already too late...

_No...no, this can't be happening..._

She was so sure she wasn't going to make it to the doctor. She was going to die right here, and she knew it.

_'Goodbye, I love you...'_ was her last thought, before closing her eyes and letting the blackness engulf her once more.


	2. Freedom

Freedom

Lila sat upon her hill, letting the hot August sun beat down on the back of her neck.

She was quite proud of the discovery of this hill. When she sat on the top, she was able to see Pincup and all of the surrounding towns. The gentle slopes of hobbit holes rose out of the earth everywhere she looked. It truly was a wonderful sight. This hill was on the outskirts of the forest, Pincup to her left, nestled among the trees. And to her right, if she looked far enough, she could see the forest was gone, the land was flat, and the farming country.

Lila felt free on top of her hill. She liked to imagine herself away from Pincup, riding away; though she had never owned a horse or even rode one, she desperately wished to learn for this very reason.

Oftentimes, she found herself staring at Hobbiton from her hill. Lila had heard tales and stories about Hobbiton all her life from her mother. Though she had never been there, these tales had resulted in an instant dislike of the place, but also a morbid curiosity.

But she could never visit that place. She knew this. After all, she was from Pincup.

Pincup. Everyone knew that hobbits from Pincup did not mix with hobbits from Hobbiton.

And, Lila figured, it was for a perfectly good reason.

Hobbiton was your typical Hobbit community. It had the perfect farming land, large Hobbit-holes, and a bad word was never heard from the place. It was peaceful, everyone knew each other, and it was rarely disturbed by things such as crime or violence in hobbits...if it ever was disturbed by such things at all. And on top of that, it held some of the richest inhabitants of the Shire. Of course, not all of Hobbiton was this way, but she had seen enough carriages and horses from afar to know there were some very wealthy families living there, indeed.

Pincup was quite the opposite. Everyone in Pincup dressed in tattered rags, usually worn every day. There were a few rich families, but for the most part, those of Pincup lived in poverty. But the biggest drawback of Pincup was the rate of crime, and how unsafe it was to walk the streets at night in this small little town.

Everyone carried at least a pocket knife in Pincup, for safety from others. Here, where the town was nestled into the forest, it was difficult to farm. The ground was too soft, too full of moss. There was a market but the crops ran out quickly, were overpriced, and not very good. Therefore Pincup was a hunting community, living off small animals and fish from the ponds in the forest, and the occasional crop if they could afford it from the nearest town - Hobbiton. The hobbits of Pincup could kill without qualms and wield weapons, unlike most of the Shire. The people were naturally more savage, purely with survival instinct. Lila herself was taught to throw knives and use a bow and arrow by her brother.

Overall, the towns being polar opposites did not endear the inhabitants to each other, and though the two towns were the closest to each other, they stayed well away from the other.

She stood up, brushed herself off, and gazed around her one last time, over the hills. Finally, she went on the worn-down path that would lead through town and back towards her house, buried deep in the woods. Before she had gotten through town, however, she heard her name being called.

"Hey! Lila!"

She turned to see her older brother jogging down the lane towards her. Lasses stared openly as he went by. Ted Brockhouse had always been an eye-catcher. He winked at them all, and Lila rolled her eyes and turned to start walking again without waiting for him.

"Hey!" He caught up with her and grinned. She threw him a glance.

He looked nearly the opposite of herself. He had sandy hair, and she had dark tresses. He was tall, lean, and lanky, where she was short and thin, to where she almost had an unhealthy, pinched look about her. His eyes were brown while hers were a dark grey. It was always said that Lila looked more like her father, and Ted looked like their mother.

The only similarity between the two siblings was their very tan skin, from being outside so consistently.

"Hey," she greeted him offhandedly, still thinking about riding a horse.

"You just finish working?" he asked her.

"No, I've been up on the hill. And you?"

"Yes," he said. "Are you headed home?"

She looked towards the hill, but then back at Ted. "I am now, I suppose."

He stiffened as he watched her gaze flicker away once more. "I know what you're thinking, Lila," he said quietly.

Her head shot over to him, glaring. She hated people picking around in her head. "Yeah? What am I thinking?"

"You want to wander around."

"What's so bad about that, Ted?" she challenged.

He sighed, his dark eyes staring across the landscape, and it was a moment before he spoke again. "You can't sit still, Lila," he said somberly. "It seems to me that you have inherited not just your looks from Father. You wouldn't understand. You were too young when..." He trailed off, looking pained.

"How dare you," she hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "How could you suggest I could _ever_ be like him?"

"Because you are," said Ted quietly. "In that sense. Just be careful with it, Lila."

Lila was silent for a moment, unable to think of a retort. Half of the time when Ted did this, he was right, and she hated that even more. But this time, she was merely angry that he would ever bring _father_ into this. As if she wanted to be reminded of that man, much less told that she was similar to him.

Ted sighed again, and took her hand. "Come on Lila," he said. "Let's go home."

She obliged without saying a word, and followed him down the lane. It took them quite a while to get to their hole. It was in a more deserted area of Pincup, right near a small pond where their Mother often did the washing and, in the summer, Ted and Lila liked to wade waist-high into the shallow water and cool off.

"Lila!" Mother exclaimed, as soon as they approached the hole. She was standing on the front porch. "Come, I want to talk to you about your birthday arrangements!"

Both of the siblings hurried up to the front porch.

"Have you got it?" Mother demanded, first thing. Both of them took some money out of their pocket and deposited it into their mother's waiting hand. She smiled graciously. "Thank you," she said kindly. "Lila, dear, I was hoping you could give me a little extra? I was hoping to try and buy some food today."

Lila exchanged a glance with Ted, but said nothing. She took the rest of her money out of her dress pocket, and gave it to Mother without a word, but with her lips pursed. Hurriedly, Ted said, "Shall we go inside, Mother?"

"I'll buy the food, Mother," Lila suddenly volunteered. She didn't much like parties or discussing them. Besides, she didn't want to be in the same room as Mother at the moment.

Mother looked at her, a little suspiciously, "Lila, we need to discuss the celebrations."

"Mother, by birthday isn't for months yet," Lila protested. She hated her Mother trying to throw celebrations.

Mother frowned, but must have decided not to argue, because she went into the house and came back with a slip of paper. "If there's any money left over, bring it to me, please?"

Lila's eyes flashed, but she kept quiet. "Yes, Mother."

"Good girl. Be careful, dear." Her Mother kissed the top of her head and with that, Lila turned on her heel and strode out of the clearing, again back towards the town, lost in her thoughts. She knew exactly why Mother always asked for her pocket money over Ted's. Ted showed ambition, Mother always said. Ted wants to learn to be a doctor. He's saving his money to be a doctor.

Lila, on the other hand was saving money for a horse, and had made the mistake of telling Mother this. Mother did not approve of horses; she thought they were dangerous as could be. Lila did not understand this in the slightest, and it did get frustrating that Ted didn't have to use all of his pocket money once in a while to buy the extra food.

Maybe, one day, if she had a horse, she could ride away and never look back.

She was lost in her pondering all the way to the marketplace and when she was buying the meager food. She probably stepped on the feet of more than a few of the Hobbits in the marketplace that day.

As she was feeling a bit rebellious, she decided to walk up to her hill once more. Once there, she dropped the basket of food and sat, staring dismally around her. She hated sitting still. She hated being stuck. Nearly every day, she thought of running away. She knew she would miss her Mother and Ted, but she was tired of Pincup. Her biggest motivation, however, was her father.

Lila's father had abandoned them when Lila was ten years old. That was nearly twenty years ago, now, but Lila's Mother's eyes still saddened when he was mentioned. He had wandered away. Gone for a walk, and never came back, and Lila suspected that her Mother was terrified of it happening again.

This time, with Lila.

She scowled and pushed herself to her feet. She didn't quite know what she would do if she found her father again. Her anger at him was so extreme; like slow-boiling water for so many years, it was finally beginning to spill over. She was bitter, cynical, and wanted nothing to do with other Hobbits, besides Mother and Ted. Lasses didn't much like her, and she rarely talked to lads, either.

She grabbed her basket and set off - not towards home, but the opposite direction, through the forest and towards Hobbiton.

This was the route that she took sometimes in her anger, storming through the forest. She always knew where she would end up, because even without thinking, her feet took her there. A pond, lodged deep into the forest, with a tree branch resting over the water.

She had tried to start a garden here, many times, but the soil wasn't good, and she had never been particularly good at that sort of thing anyway.

Putting her basket on the ground, she pulled her pocket knife out and hurled it with a small yell. It stuck perfectly in the tree branch. Breathing hard, she moved towards the tree and yanked it out, then glanced at the rest of the tree that was dangling over the water.

Lila loved defying safety at times - mostly when she was angry, or felt trapped - and found it daring to sit on the branch, letting her toes skim the water, though she couldn't swim. This was one of those times.

No longer caring if Ted or Mother would be wondering where she was, she threw the knife again, and it stuck once more, though far out, where she would have to climb out to it over the water. And she did climb, like an agile cat, onto the branch. She scurried out onto the far end of it and just sat, ever so slowly dipping her toes into the water, watching the ripples fan out like waves.

Once her knife was retrieved, she threw it back to the bank, where it stuck in the ground, but she didn't move quite yet.

Dangling on the edge of the branch was a thrill for her, and she tried getting lower and lower with her foot each time, laughing to herself each time she succeeded. But in mid-dip, she heard a loud snap come from behind her, like someone stepping on a twig.

Startled, she tried turning around to look at the disturbance, but she lost her balance.

She let out an, "Oh!" of surprise, and fell into the pond.

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><p><strong>an**~ _Hmm. No matter how many times I re-wrote and edited this chapter, I feel like something is weird. Like there is too much information or something. Anyway, let me know if what you think. Hopefully you like the turnout of the first installment better than I do :) Just a little intro chapter to get the character of Lila set up...she's gonna be a dark one ;)_

_Also, thank you soooo freaking much to my three reviewers. I love you guys! Keep them coming, everybody! Thanks :)_


	3. Head Above Water

Head Above Water

And Lila was certain she would drown.

She could see the sunlight sprinkling over the water top, reflecting and sparkling. It was a phenomenal sight. She struggled at first, but her clothes were weighing her down. There was no hope for it. She knew this would be the end. She only hoped it wouldn't hurt Ted too much. This was peaceful, really...

But then, from out of nowhere, a hand plunged in and grabbed her own wrist. She felt it before she saw it - she had closed her eyes in preparation for her untimely death.

But when she felt a rough jerk on her arm, her eyes snapped open. Water seeped into them and her eyes burned from the sudden change, so much that she couldn't see the face of the one who had jumped in after her. She closed her eyes again and let the blackness surround her, felt the hand become two arms that wrapped themselves around her, and pull her out of the water.

Her head broke the surface, and she was put down on the bank of the pond, as gently as the desperation allowed.

Coughing and sputtering, she lay still and didn't open her eyes. She heard someone else beside her, felt their presence more than anything as they shifted and then turned towards her.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" the voice said doubtfully, and her eyes snapped open.

Though she was sure that her eyes were rimmed with red and were probably very irritated, she could now see her savior when she opened her eyes. He was a hobbit a little on the taller side, with sandy locks that were extremely curly, though at the moment they were soaked down. He had dark eyes, and a rather large nose. Water was dripping from his face as he stared at her apprehensively, and with slight alarm.

"Are you _suicidal_?" he growled, sitting back onto the ground, as he had been leaning over her face.

"No," she hissed, annoyed at his less than warm tone and wringing water out of her hair.

"Can you swim?"

"No," she replied, rolling her eyes. What a stupid question.

"Then why did you lean over the water like that?" He stared at her, mouth agape, as if horrified and fascinated all at the same time.

She ground her teeth together lightly. His questions were quickly beginning to irritate her. "What can I say? I like a thrill," she said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I can see that," he muttered, shaking his head. He stood up, brushing himself off, though it really only resulted in mixing more mud into his clothes, which she noticed were very expensive looking. No...he couldn't be...

He held out his hand, but she ignored it and pushed herself to her feet quickly, avoiding his eyes. "Well, I best be going," she mumbled, and keeping her head down, she began to walk away, but he reached out and grabbed her wrist once more. Instinctively she yanked her wrist away, whipped her knife out of the bank, and turned to face him.

His eyes were wide and his hands were up in a gesture of surrender. "Wait," he said. "Just a minute."

"What?" she snapped, lowering the knife a little.

"Well, I did just save your life."

She glared at him, pocketing the knife. He exhaled a little. "You're very good with that thing, you know."

"Get to the point," she hissed.

He looked amused, and then shrugged. "Oh, nothing," he said sardonically. "I just figured, you know, a pretty lass like you would appreciate having her life saved."

Lila knew what he was getting at. "Yeah, all right. Thanks a bunch. Whatever." She turned to go again, but for the third time, he grabbed her wrist. "_What_?" she hissed, turning to glare at him again. "Can't I just go now?"

He chuckled, and she glanced around quickly, suspiciously, a little alarmed now he wouldn't let her leave.

She couldn't see anyone else, and she assumed that he had been alone. But there, standing next to the tree - her heart almost stopped - was a beautiful little pony, saddled and everything, which the lad had apparently just vacated to hurry over and rescue her.

She turned back to him, and he was watching her with a curious expression on his face.

"Is that yours?" she breathed, unable to contain her question.

He laughed. "Star? Yeah, she's mine."

So casually. So nonchalant If he only knew how valuable horses really were...he must not truly understand. Horses meant freedom and control. Horses meant to ride, and never look back. When she looked back into the lad's face, he was watching her carefully. "You have a horse?"

She frowned, turning away. "No," she said in a steely voice.

"You ever ridden one before?" he asked, quietly.

"No," she said, her voice becoming even testier.

"Well, do you want to?"

She looked up at him again; his eyes were kind. He pitied her, and she didn't like that one bit. But she didn't want to turn down this opportunity, her first opportunity ever to ride this horse. She looked back at Star. She really was wonderful - her black coat shone, and her brown eyes seemed to be looking right at Lila.

"Yes," she finally murmured, her eyes still on Star.

The lad chuckled again. "Okay, but I want to know something first."

She stiffened. "What?" she said tiredly.

"Just your name." She sighed, and he laughed again. "Is it really that difficult? I'll start." He held out his hand for her. "I'm Meriadoc Brandybuck. But you can call me Merry."

Ah. It clicked in an instant. Brandybuck. She had heard that name before, a long time ago. It had something to do with rich hobbits, she was sure of it. Did that mean he was from Hobbiton? She did not want to ask, but this lad was inquisitive, so he was sure to ask where she was from even if she didn't bring it up.

"Lila," she said, holding out her hand gingerly. He kissed it, then dropped his hand from hers.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Lila," he said, bowing, not asking her last name, for which she was grateful. "So tell me, are you always brandish knives at lads upon meeting them?"

Was he trying to be funny? Without thinking, she retorted, "No Merry, where I'm from, if a lad keeps grabbing a lass's wrist and doesn't let her leave, it means he is probably going to hurt her." She bit her lip and cursed herself inwardly for her outburst and stupidity, as she watched him straighten up, the smile disappearing from his face and the alarm filling his features.

"And where might that be, Miss Lila?" he said quietly, suddenly serious.

"Where are _you_ from, anyway?" she shot at him.

"I was traveling when I saw you falling in the water," he explained, without hesitation. "I jumped off of Star and ran over. But I am a Brandybuck, originally from Brandy Hall. I am on my way to visit my dear cousin in Hobbiton and do some house hunting."

She could not think of anything to say to this. "I see," was all she said.

It was quiet for a long moment. She broke eye contact and began throwing her wet hair up into a messy ponytail. Instead of asking anything else, he seemed to sense that she was uncomfortable, and said, "So, would you like to try and ride Star? She is very gentle, I promise you."

The offer was so tempting. There was no way she was able to say no. She nodded, hating herself, her eyes roving back to the magnificent horse that remained faithfully by the tree's side.

Merry jerked, as if he was about to hold out his hand, and then thought better of it. "Well, um, come this way, if you want," he said tentatively.

She nodded and stepped forward, her breath catching in her throat as she realized that she was indeed nervous to step next to this large creature. Holding her head high and trying not to appear nervous, she said, "How do I get on, then?"

"Pet her first," Merry supplied, and she realized that he was standing right behind her. "Let her get used to you."

"H-how?" Lila asked, staring into the horse's eyes.

"Just hold your hand out, like this." He put his hand out over her nose, and patted it, and then looked over at Lila with an encouraging smile. "Don't be afraid. She's gentle."

"I'm not afraid," Lila snapped, but her hand was shaking when she reached out to touch Star's nose. When she finally made contact, the horse didn't move at all; it simply stared at her. She found that Star's nose was soft and fuzzy, and very damp from the August heat.

"See? Easy," Merry said quietly. "I'll help you on her now, if you would like."

"Yes, I would," Lila said, more eagerly now.

"Step this way." He indicated her to the side of the horse, and Star stood very still, as if she knew that Lila was nervous and new. Lila couldn't help it; a laugh escaped from her lips. She had always dreamed of this moment, and here she was, about to sit on a horse with a strange and apparently rich lad, who had just saved her life.

"Put your foot here." Merry pointed, and she did. With his help, she was pushed up into the saddle. She laughed again; it was exhilarating, being up here. She stuck her leg out, ready to kick the horse and ride fast, when Merry reached forward and stopped her leg from falling. "Whoa!" he shouted. "You do _not _want to do that."

"Why not?" Lila demanded, frowning.

"If you kick her that hard, she will start very fast. You want to work up to it or you'll fall off. Let me lead you around the pond a few times first."

"I don't need you to lead me," she hissed, but Merry only chuckled at her and shook his head. He grabbed the bit that was in the horse's mouth, said, "Come on, Star," and began to walk slowly. Star immediately began to follow her master, and Lila found herself grabbing the knob on the saddle as the horse began to move.

It was definitely a different sensation, she decided; she could feel the horse's body moving on either side, and the rocking motion would take some getting used to. But already, she wanted to go faster, and she told Merry so. He laughed at her again. "You need to take things slowly, you know that? Horses are big animals."

To this, Lila had no retort. She was going to start sounding like an ignorant idiot if she continued on like this, but she couldn't help it; she wanted to feel the wind as she rode down the lane.

When Merry finally stopped, it had been a very long time; dark was starting to approach, though Lila felt like no time had passed at all. Lila knew she must be getting home, so she climbed down regretfully, patting Star on the nose once more. "Goodbye, Star," she whispered. Then, taking a deep breath, she turned to face Merry. "Thank you, Merry," she said, meaning it this time.

He seemed to notice. "So I need to let you ride Star to get a proper thank you, eh?" he said, though his face was amused. She shrugged, not quite knowing what to say. "Do you need me to walk you home?" he asked suddenly, looking around the trees and frowning.

"It isn't dark yet," she explained. "I think if I hurry I will be all right."

He nodded. "It was nice meeting you," he said. "Well..." he trailed off, thinking. "If you want to ride Star again, I can come back tomorrow afternoon. I mean, I will probably need a break from house hunting. You can even come to Hobbiton with me, if you like, and meet everybody you know."

More people to pity her? She wasn't even entirely sure she liked Merry yet. Her stomach dropped a little. "I would love to ride Star again," she said honestly, "but I don't want to go to Hobbiton. Can't I just ride her here?"

He shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

He looked a little put out, so Lila smiled at him once more. "Thanks again. I mean it."

He grinned back. "Yeah, no problem. Don't fall into any ponds on your way back. I can't save your life two times in a row, Miss Lila."

"Ha ha."

"See you tomorrow afternoon, then," he said.

"Yeah," Lila said, nodding. "See you then."

_If I can_ _think of an excuse for Mother and Ted for where I'm going by then_.

* * *

><p>Lila's mother hadn't been happy the day before when Lila had gotten home so late. Lila was able to dodge her questions, but she knew she must be home earlier from now on. She didn't want to explain meeting Merry, and she definitely didn't want to bring the horseback riding into it. Putting those two things together was a dangerous combination.<p>

So the next day, she was significantly lucky when her mother decided to go to town in the afternoon. As soon as she was gone, Lila breathed a sigh of relief that she wouldn't have to go out and explain where she was heading to. What she didn't expect, however, was how difficult her brother would be.

She had almost made it to the front door when Ted's voice floated from the chair near the fireplace.

"Going somewhere, Lila?"

She paused, hand on the door handle, and looked back at him, trying not to cringe. She shrugged. "Oh just going for a walk," she said casually, turning back to the door to open it.

Again, she didn't get far before he said, "You sure?"

This time, she did cringe before she faced him. "Yeah, I'm sure," she snapped. "See you later." Quickly, she thrust the door open and stalked out of the house, thoroughly irritated that he was trying to act like mother. It wasn't as if she were that young anymore - she was 29, almost out of her tweens! Couldn't she go out without getting pestered? Muttering angrily, she retraced her footsteps from the day before to the same little pond that she had been rescued by Merry.

He was already there, lounging by the pond. Star was faithfully standing by the tree, and Lila's heart leaped at the sight of her. Maybe Merry would let her ride faster today.

He was smirking already. "Think you can keep your head above water today?"

"Pretty sure," she said testily. She was already glancing at Star, and Merry must have noticed, because he chuckled and said, "Well, let's go ahead and ride her, then."

Immediately, Lila hurried over to Star and patted her a bit. After a moment of reconnecting with the horse, she turned to Merry standing behind her and motioned for him to help her up. When he did, she felt that same thrill she did yesterday as she was at the top. Freedom was calling her name, and the temptation to dig her heels into the horse and escape from Merry was very, very tempting.

To her great surprise, Merry climbed up behind her before she could do much of anything. He reached around for the reins. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I'll teach you how to control the reins," he answered easily. "We'll start off by walking. Maybe even learn to trot, if we have time today."

"Trot?"

"They move just a little faster than walking, but it is very bouncy," he said. "So, you start off by - "

"LILA!" They both jumped and turned to see none other than her brother standing in the trees, his arms crossed and his face very severe. "What do you think you are doing?" he demanded.

"What do you think _you_ are doing, Ted? You followed me!"

"Hanging around lads," he said, shaking his head angrily. "You can't go messing with those Hobbiton folk Lila, what is the matter with you? And riding horses on top of that! I have half a mind to go find mother right now!"

Her eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't dare."

He shrugged. "I dared to follow you, didn't I?"

Merry had stiffened behind her, clearly uncomfortable, and Lila made up her mind in half a second. "Go ahead and tell mother then," she said, surprised at how calm her voice sounded when she was really boiling with anger. "But you'll have to find me first."

Merry spoke up suddenly. "Uh...Lila..."

Ted had fire in his eyes. "Lila I swear, if you - "

She lifted her heels up high and kicked Star, hard. She reared. Lila had not been expecting this, and she clung to the saddle for dear life. Merry was trying to hold on by clutching her back, but he was also holding her hair, and tears came to her eyes.

All at once, Star came back down and began racing away, with Lila just barely holding on as Merry took control of the reins. She looked behind her to see Ted running after them with a furious look on his face, but of course he was unable to catch up. He skidded to a stop, and laughing, Lila turned to watch the blur of color that was the forest flying by her, and tried to concentrate on not falling off the horse that she was no longer in control of.

As soon as they had gotten farther away from Lila's brother, Merry had slowly but surely steadied Star using the reins. Star was now trotting along comfortably, and Lila was just starting to get used to the jolting and tremors that came along with it. "Merry, where are we going?" she suddenly asked, feeling wary.

"This path leads to Hobbiton," he explained.

In a flash, Lila had reached for his reins and yanked on them, hard. Star reared again, with both hobbits clinging on for life. "What are you doing?" Merry shouted angrily, wrestling them back from her.

"I don't want to go there."

"Okay, what is this about?" Merry pulled the reins so the horse stopped. Merry lightly jumped down to the ground, reins still in hand.

"Hey!" Lila protested.

"You aren't controlling the reins."

"Why not?"

"I want you to tell me what just happened back there. And why you don't want to go to Hobbiton. Come on, spit it out." He was looking at her with an expectancy that was infuriating. Did he actually think he could just ask and get all of his questions answered? Did he think he knew her that well?

She frowned and hopped down from the horse as well, on the other side. "I'll walk," she hissed, beginning to stalk off in the other direction.

"Aw, come on!" Merry said loudly, running around Star and grabbing her wrist. "What _is_ it with you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she spat. "Leave me alone."

"Nope," he said fiercely, still grabbing her wrist. "Come on. Just come with me to Hobbiton. You can meet my cousins."

"I don't want to meet any more stupid rich people from Hobbiton!" she shouted.

His eyes flashed with sadness. "I don't care how much money you've got," he said finally. "And Pippin and Frodo wouldn't care either. Come on, just come meet them. I'm house hunting today because I want to live in Hobbiton for a couple of months. Come explore. Anyway, you can't very well go back to your house right now, can you?"

To this, Lila was silent. No, she couldn't go back home at the moment - best give her mother and Ted time to cool down. And she did want to satisfy her morbid curiosity about Hobbiton, but...how could she go in that town? Surely, they would all stare at her because she was from someplace else, somewhere different. And if she said Pincup...they would look down on her, she was sure of it. And meeting more people? What were the chances she could talk to these other rich people as easily as she could talk to Merry?

Or sometimes, it seemed, not so easily.

"Are you going to tell me what just happened with your brother, or am I going to have to pester you?" Merry finally asked with a sigh, obviously exasperated. "What did he mean, 'Hobbiton' folk?" he demanded.

Lila sighed, deflating. "He just doesn't want me hanging around lads, that's all," she said tonelessly. "He's just being an older brother. And an annoying one at that. And...our mother always told us tales about folks from Hobbiton. Told us not to go there if we could help it."

Merry's mouth twitched. "Seems to me you don't listen to her or your brother much. Why start now?"

"It's more complicated than that."

"How so?"

Lila pursed her lips, and Merry immediately looked a tad bit ashamed. "All right, I'll stop prying," he said quietly. "Just wondering how you got to be so unpredictable, I guess."

He looked so down that she thought for a minute. "I guess I can meet one of your cousins today, if we really have to." Her mouth was wrinkled, and her tone indicated that she meant exactly the opposite of what she said. But Merry had been rather good to her so far, and he may even be the first friend that she had ever made, really.

"Great!" He grinned. "Just one thing...don't pull that knife out on anyone." With another chuckle, he took the reins in his hands, and leaped up behind her on the horse once more.

Irritated, she jabbed him in the side and pulled the reins from him when he was busy saying, "Ow!" She grinned to herself and lifted her heels high in the air. She just registered Merry saying her name warningly before she dug her heels into Star once more, and the horse began sprinting down the road.

"Are you crazy?" Merry shouted earnestly, but he was laughing, too, and even if he hadn't been, Lila would have been giggling much too hysterically at the thrill of it to care.

Lila had not thought this through very well - of course, Pincup was not as civilized as Hobbiton, but it never occurred to her until they were rapidly approaching the houses that a rampaging horse may not be a good first impression on the inhabitants that were going about their daily shopping in a crowded marketplace. Merry seemed to think of this too. "Lila give me the reins!" he cried hysterically. "Quick!"

She threw them behind her, but Star was already going too fast. It was too late.

Star crashed down the lane. Startled Hobbits dove out of the way and a lot of commotion was caused, especially after someone dove into the tomato cart in the marketplace. "Watch out! Watch out!" Merry was shouting, and Lila had her eyes squeezed shut, not wanting to see what Star might run into. It seemed she was spooked. Hobbits were shouting, there were loud crashes everywhere, and angry fists were being brandished in the youngsters' direction.

They had trampled through the marketplace and off the road when Merry finally grabbed hold of the reins from a shocked Lila, and he pulled back on them, hard. Star reared, and this time, Lila was not so lucky in staying on her.

She toppled off the side of the horse with a loud thump, and just barely missed landing underneath the poor horse's hoof. Merry immediately jumped down and turned her over. "Are you all right?" His eyes were shining with concern.

"I'm fine, yes..." she muttered, feeling a bit dazed.

"You look like you hit your head pretty hard," he said doubtfully.

She stood up, a little shaky at first. "Let's go again." She began putting her hair up, and Merry stared at her for a long time, mouth open, until she finally felt self-conscious enough to say, "What?"

He shook his head. "You really _do _have a death wish!"

"I do not," she snapped.

He pursed his lips at her tone. "You took the reins from me and kicked Star so she would go much too fast. There's no way you are getting back on her right now. Besides, have you even thought about the people that might have been hurt back at the marketplace?"

"Everyone seemed fine," she muttered.

Merry opened his mouth to retort, but before he could say anything more on the subject, a voice shouted from a distance. "Merry!"

They both turned to see another light-haired hobbit coming toward them, his face split into a wide grin. "All that destruction at the market...I should have known it was because you are in town." The other lad laughed, and Merry shot Lila a stern look before leaning forward and punching the other hobbit on the arm.

"Shut up Pippin!"

"Make me, Merry!"

"Real mature, Pip. Real mature."

The hobbit named Pippin eyed Lila. "Introduce me to your partner in crime, Merry. She could probably help us at Farmer Maggot's."

"Pippin!" Merry growled warningly. "Don't talk about that with someone you haven't met yet. This is Lila...erm..." he trailed off, glancing at her, seemingly aware that he didn't know her last name. "Well, this is Lila. I've been teaching her to ride Star the past two days and we got a little out of control." He narrowed his eyes at her again, and she rolled hers.

Pippin stepped forward and kissed her hand, but his grin was mischeivous. Lila had a feeling the smile on his face always looked that way. "Peregrin Took at your service, m'lady," he said goofily, and Lila couldn't help but giggle. "But you can call me Pippin."

"Or Pip," Merry piped in.

Pippin shot him a filthy look. "Merry knows I don't like to be called that. He seems to think he isn't part of the rule."

Merry laughed. "I'm not part of any rules, _Pip_."

Before Pippin could retaliate, Lila said, stifling her laugh at the two's antics, "Is this a cousin you were telling me about, Merry?"

"Ah!" Pippin's eyes lit up at once. "Telling you about me, is he? What did he say? I'm tall? Charming? Handsome?" He wiggled his eyebrows in a joking manner, and Lila burst out laughing. Then, when she quieted down, she pretended to think.

"Hmm...Pippin...no, I think he was saying that the other cousin was better..." She grinned at him.

Pippin laughed, turned and mock sighed at Merry. "Frodo? In what ways is he better, Merry? I am disgraced."

"Only in every way, Pippin."

"Charming? Handsome?" Pippin snorted. "As if. I'm the most charming and handsome of all."

"Yeah...in your dreams, Pip," Merry said. "And did you seriously just say 'as if?' What are you, a tween lass?"

Pippin ignored this last jibe. "And tall? Well I'm the tallest!"

"No, I am, you idiot!" Merry said indignantly.

Lila could hardly contain her laughter at their banter. How was this possible? Was Merry right after all about his cousins, that they wouldn't care where she was from? Would they feel differently, if they were to meet her family? She liked being in Merry's company even more with Pippin around, and she couldn't believe her good fortune.

"What are you doing here anyway, Merry? Coming to see me and Frodo?" Pippin raised his eyebrows knowingly.

"We actually weren't, until Lila decided to scare Star into sprinting through the marketplace."

"Hey!" Lila protested. "That was an accident."

"Accident? Good one, Lila. The only accident bigger than that one is Pippin's face."

Merry and Lila dissolved into gales of laughter, as Pippin looked on, not amused. "And you were calling me immature, Meriadoc?" he said, shaking his head. When Merry and Lila had finished having their laugh, Pippin finally said, "So are we going to the Green Dragon or what?"


	4. A Party of Special Magnificence

A Party of Special Magnificence

As Lila spent more and more time away from home throughout the month of August and then finally, September, she became closer and closer with Merry and Pippin, better at learning to ride Star...and the time at her home became more and more miserable.

Ted, of course, had told her mother all about the episode with Merry and the horse. As much as Lila's mother tried to keep her away, Lila claimed she was an adult and could do whatever she pleased, and before her mother could answer, would simply leave the hole.

Her relationships with her mother and brother were deteriorating - her mother wanted her to have nothing to do with the "Hobbiton folk", as she liked to call them, and her brother was taking their mother's side, much to Lila's dismay. She had at least expected him to back her up just a little bit, even if she had rode away from him. But he was assuming a fatherly role, which annoyed Lila more than anything, and was constantly warning her about hanging around boys.

She insisted, almost every single day, that Merry and Pippin were fast becoming her best friends, that they were nothing like her mother insisted those "Hobbiton folk" were like.

Ted had given up trying to follow her one day when she had finally lost her temper punched him in the stomach (something Merry and Pippin went on about for a good few hours afterward), but he warned her that no good would come of this. Lila's mother was nearly always shouting at her or at the very least, giving her cross looks, even when she was only going out to her hill and not to meet Merry and Pippin. Their suspicion and anger was overwhelming, and it only made Lila want to be away from home even more.

And, of course, she loved riding Star.

Merry had finally trusted her enough to put her on the horse by herself again and let her have the reins, telling her sternly that if she took off he would both never speak to her again and never let her see the horse again. As much as Lila wished she could have put him in his place for these somewhat rude comments, she liked riding the horse too much to cause a disturbance, no matter how much she wanted to.

Pippin as well came along on most days, and so the three spent the time learning on Star, or else just lounging by the pond, or sitting on the branch that overlooked the water.

Merry had found a home in Hobbiton for now, and he always tried to insist that they go and have tea. Lila had no interest in going to his hole, which was sure to be fancy and expensive, and didn't want to sit around to drink tea. She much preferred to be here, in the outdoors, with Pippin and Merry, even if they insisted on smoking pipeweed around her.

On one such afternoon in late September, they were lounging in this manner, Pippin and Merry puffing away and Lila staring serenely out at the water. Pippin spoke up. "Come on, Lila. Please?"

She sighed. Pippin and Merry always were trying to persuade her to go to the Green Dragon. She had only ever been the one time, and it had been perfect, seeing as it wasn't very busy, but since it was now the weekend, she knew it was sure to be packed with hobbits, and that would make her very uncomfortable.

"You two go on, if you want to go," she said testily.

"Why won't you come with us?" Pippin demanded.

"I have no interest in the Green Dragon," she said loftily.

"Or you are just afraid of people," Merry said bluntly, and he and Pippin exchanged glances.

"I am not!" Lila hissed.

"Prove it," Pippin said jovially, taking another puff on his pipe.

"Yeah," Merry piped in. "Prove it and come to the Green Dragon with us."

"I don't much like pubs," she said stiffly.

"Or people," Pippin and Merry said at the same time. She swatted them, and Merry sobered up. "Seriously, though," he said. "You need to come meet some others. I have an idea." He and Pippin looked at each other again. Lila could see it in her faces. They had been planning this.

She sighed. "What is it, you two?"

"Well, you see..." Merry started hesitantly.

"There's this party," Pippin cut in. "Our cousin Frodo and his Uncle Bilbo. It will be a wonderful celebration, the entire Shire will probably be..."

"Pippin!" Merry groaned.

"...there," Pippin finished in a small voice.

"The entire Shire?" Lila said. "Sounds like fun."

Merry rolled his eyes, but Pippin missed the sarcasm. "Yes! And it's Frodo's coming of age, and Bilbo will be 111, a very curious number. A party of special magnificence, everyone has said!" He grinned stupidly at her.

Lila looked across the pond for a long time, watching the sparkles on it. "I have nothing to wear for such a party," she said, very quietly. When she turned to look at Pippin and Merry, there were tears sparkling in her eyes. Pippin and Merry exchanged looks again, and neither were smiling anymore.

"Well," Pippin said carefully. "You could borrow something of Pearl's. My sister, you know. If you like."

It was quiet for another moment. Finally, Merry said, "Please? We'd really like you to go. Birthday parties are always so much fun, and this one is bound to be."

"Especially with what we have planned," Pippin said, wiggling his eyebrows.

The earlier tension was gone as Lila laughed. "Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not," Merry chimed in. "But it will be spectacular, we assure you."

She laughed again. "How can I not go, then?" she said, though inside knowing she was making a mistake.

"Excellent!" Pippin exclaimed. "It's tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!" Lila shrieked.

They both looked at her strangely. "Yes," Merry said slowly. "Tomorrow." He puffed on his pipe and blew out a ring.

"All right," she said finally. "I'll go, I'll go. I just wasn't expecting it to be so soon."

"If we told you in advance," Merry said, grinning at her as he blew another ring, "you would have second guessed it and backed out."

"That's it," Lila snapped to her reflection in the mirror as she stood in her room. She folded her arms. "I'm not going."

She nodded to herself, confirming her decision, and then moved towards the front door to meet Merry and Pippin and tell them her news. Thankful that her mother and Ted were out getting groceries, she slipped out of her hole and hurried down the lane towards their pond.

They would be disappointed, that was certain, but she hadn't ever really wanted to go in the first place. Hanging around all of those Hobbits was not something she considered a good time - she didn't even like going to things of this sort in Pincup, much less Hobbiton. Besides, from what Merry and Pippin had let slip, there would be quite a few people there. They wouldn't miss her with so much going on, anyway.

Her thoughts had carried her all the way to the pond in a much speedier process than it usually was. They were already there, lounging by the pond as usual, grinning lazily as she approached. "Ready to go?" Merry called.

Pippin leaped to his feet. "Come on, let's go to my house and we can talk to Pearl - "

"I'm not coming, you two."

"...about borrowing that dress. What?" Pippin finished, not having heard her.

"I'm not coming to this party."

Merry got to his feet too. "Why not?" he cried indignantly.

"Yeah," Pippin echoed. "Why not?"

"I don't even know these Bagginses you speak of," she said, miffed. "I can't just show up to their party."

"But you know us," Pippin said, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious. "Besides, half the Shire is turning up without an invitation. You'll blend right in."

"I doubt that," Lila said dryly, but Merry spoke over her.

"We've already told Bilbo and Frodo you're going," Merry said. "If you don't go now, that would be rude."

Both he and Pippin looked at her brightly, waiting for her answer. She glared at them both for their trickery. "Fine," she snapped. "But if something - and I mean anything - goes wrong - "

"You'll trample us with Star, yeah yeah, we know," Merry said, grabbing her arm. "Come on, let's go to Pippin's house and get you that dress!"

Luckily for Lila, Pippin's family was not at home when they got there; Pearl had left the dress out for her to try on, which Lila found incredibly touching. But she was also glad, selfishly, that she didn't have to deal with the awkward introductions and questions. She had a feeling there would be enough of those tonight.

After she had deemed it to fit, she joined the impatient Merry and Pippin, and they all proceeded over to Merry's house, where the two boys insisted on going outside to smoke some pipeweed. Lila, having no interest in such things, went to the bathroom and attempted to make herself look presentable. Her dark grey eyes seemed plainer than ever, and the dress, while fabulous, felt strange on her. She didn't feel like she belonged in something quite as elegant as this, and just hoped that her awkward air would not show as much as she felt it.

Her hair, as usual, was a mass of brown curls, but instead of tossing them up as usual, she let them fall down her back. After looking at herself for another minute, she decided this was the most comfortable she was going to get with her appearance, nodded once, and exited the bathroom.

Twilight was falling when Merry and Pippin had finally had their smoke and were ready to go.

Nerves were starting to rise up in her stomach now, and as soon as they began walking down the lane, she started asking questions to keep her mind off of the fluttering feeling in her stomach. "What are they like?" Lila asked. "All the Hobbits around here, I mean."

They looked at her strangely. "The same as anybody, really," Merry said.

"Everyone does think that Bilbo is a bit crazy though," Pippin added.

"Oh yes," Merry said, shaking his head. "He has himself quite a reputation around here."

"What for?" Lila asked curiously.

"Oh, he went on an adventure some years ago," Merry explained. "Fought a dragon and such with a bunch of Dwarves. Met Elves and Trolls and all kinds of creatures. Brought himself back a load of gold and some very good stories. And then Frodo became his heir."

"Why did he decide to live with Bilbo?" Lila questioned.

"His parents died, when he was younger," Pippin said sadly. "Primula and Drogo."

"How sad," Lila said quietly, unsure what to make of these new revelations about the Baggins. She didn't have much longer to wait, however. She heard the loud sounds of music and fireworks nearby, and she knew they were drawing close. When they finally got to the gate, she was able to fully see the party scene.

It was wonderfully decorated. It was obvious it had taken a great many Hobbits to set this up, and probably days, or even weeks, to plan. She could see tables everywhere, covered in white cloth. There were tents - many, many tents that held goodness knows what. Hundreds of Hobbits there were, filling every corner of the grass. She shifted a little uncomfortably.

Lights were strung up everywhere, and streamers were hung up as well. Fireworks went off at random intervals,and there was a large banner that said, "Happy Birthday Bilbo and Frodo Baggins." The hobbits all seemed to be enjoying themsleves, dancing a mixer to the music that a little hobbit band was playing. Overall, it was incredibly festive, and Lila realized that these hobbits knew how to throw a good party, at least.

They were greeted at the gate by who Lila assumed to be Bilbo himself, especially when his eyes lit up in seeing Merry and Pippin. He was older, but he certainly did not look 111 - Lila only had a moment to marvel before he had stepped forward and exclaimed, "If it isn't the Brandybuck and the Took!"

"Wonderful to see you, Bilbo," the chorused, grinning.

"You troublemakers at our party..." he shook his head, but Lila knew he wasn't actually angry. He was smiling. He seemed to be one of those hobbits that was always smiling. He noticed her standing by them quietly. "Who might this fine young lass be?" he asked politely.

"This is our friend Lila, Bilbo," Merry spoke up, giving Lila an encouraging smile and a glance. "We brought her here with us. We told you yesterday, remember?"

"Ah yes," Bilbo said, smiling serenely. "And where might you be from, my dear? Who are your parents? I may know your family!"

"Oh...I-I doubt it," she stuttered.

He waited for her to say something more, but when she did not, Merry glanced between them hurriedly and said,"Well, we best be going to say hello to Frodo, Bilbo. Happy Birthday!"

"Happy Birthday," Lila and Pippin chorused.

"Yes yes, go on in, welcome welcome," Bilbo said with another jolly laugh, ushering them forward.

There was more food here than Lila had probably ever seen in her life. There were kegs of ale everywhere, and she noticed a couple hobbits carrying a giant carrot cake slowly through the thickening crowd around the food tables. She couldn't help but gaze around in wonder. Merry and Pippin were quite right - no one would notice that she was out of place here, simply because there were so many hobbits to blend in with.

"Want a pint, Lila?" Pippin asked brightly.

"I - oh, fine," she said, giving in. He was back in less than a minute carrying two pints. He handed one to her, and she sipped it.

"This is very good!" she exclaimed, surprised. She had never tasted ale this delicious in her life.

"Pip, I wanted one," Merry complained.

"I don't have three hands, Merry," Pippin said.

"I suppose that's a good thing," Merry grumbled. "Be right back."

After he too had gotten himself a drink, they pressed on through the crowd. Lila, unsure of what to do, just followed them, feeling completely idiotic but also too afraid to branch out on her own. She was attracting only a few stares from hobbits around her now, but probably just because they had never seen her before. She didn't get out much. Merry and Pippin were craning their necks, searching the dancing crowds.

The three hobbits reached the dancers, but Pippin was still gazing in the other direction. Merry was meeting his line of vision, and they both grinned at each other. "Oh, what are you two planning?" Lila cried, wary at their mischievous faces.

"Nothing much," Pippin said, shrugging. "I'll go check that tent, Merry," he said happily, and hurried off.

"Check it for what?" she asked Merry shrewdly, but he shrugged at her.

"Set down your ale and let's have a dance," he suggested. She found the nearest table and set down her mug, certain that it would have disappeared by the time she returned, and, though tentative, she followed Merry out onto the dance floor. She had never danced before, save for once or twice, and was too proud to admit it, but Merry was an easy partner. He twirler her around easily, and she soon forgot that she was surrounded by rich hobbits that she didn't even know.

However, when the hobbits started doing a mixer, her laughter died down. "Oh Merry," she said, tugging his arm. "Let's go have another drink and find Pippin."

"Don't want to dance with anyone else?" he asked, with a wicked grin.

He was teasing her. She frowned. "Of course I don't," she answered honestly. "I never dance, and I don't know any of these people...hey! Merry!" For he had grabbed her arm and spun her into the midst of the dancing hobbits. She was incredibly uncomfortable, trying to remember where to go, and then the partners started switching.

There were circles, and each circle would hook onto a partner from a circle behind them. Lila was feeling dizzy and complicated, and then when Merry let go of her arm, panicked. But she was swooped into another lad's arms soon enough. This happened several times, and then she was back to Merry. By the third time she had met Merry once more, she was laughing hysterically.

"Having fun?" he asked her cheekily.

"Should have known you would rub it in," she said, but she was smiling. She should have known that dancing would feel almost as free as riding Star. She was forgetting her worries and woes about these Hobbiton folk while she was being swung around and thinking about steps, and she found it wonderfully entertaining and enthralling.

They let go of each other once more, and this time, Lila was swung directly into the arms of a black-haired lad.

Normally when she had a new partner (which she had passed through about twenty already), they glanced at each other, smiled politely, and did their few steps before moving on to the next. But this was different, and Lila couldn't help herself - she stared.

For he was very fair indeed, as if he either didn't get out much or constantly sat in the shade, and her hands looked very dark in his. His face was attractive. His hair cascaded a bit past his shoulders, a nice curly black, which wasn't common in hobbits, but it was his eyes that Lila could not tear her gaze away from. They were incredibly large, and very,very blue. The kind of eyes she could pick out among the crowd of all these hobbits. They were piercing her now with a gaze that held two things; amusement and a lingering curiosity.

She stared at him like this, mouth agape, and he returned her gaze, and then they were swept off once more.

They shuffled through a few more partners, and with a jolt, realized she should be back at Merry by now. Frowning, she searched the dancing crowd for him, but she could not see him. She continued the mixer, distracted with her looking, until finally, she found a point to politely step out. Had he deserted her?

She wandered among the tables, looking for either Merry or Pippin, but they were nowhere to be found. After a few minutes, however, she did hear her name being called, and she wasn't exactly happy to hear the voice calling her. She turned to the sound of her name to see Ted hurrying towards her.

Surprised, she stared as he skidded to a halt in front of her. He had obviously just got done with a bit of a run. "Ted?" she questioned, her tone filled with awe. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, of course," he said gruffly. "Mother has been frantic all day."

Lila flinched. She hadn't exactly told her Mother or Ted about these plans, and she did feel a little guilty for just disappearing for hours upon end. But at the same time, she didn't want to deal with their questions and accusations about Hobbiton, especially when she was having doubts on her own. Besides, when she left the house this morning, she hadn't been planning on being gone well into the night, anyway.

"Well, you can tell her I'm fine," Lila said, turning back to go find Merry and Pippin again.

"Hold on," Ted said, grabbing her wrist. "You aren't coming home?"

"No," Lila answered simply. "I'm not."

"What has gotten into you?" he asked doubtfully. "I thought you knew what Hobbiton was like, I thought mother told you -"

"Well now I'm basing it off of my own opinions, Ted, and so far I like this party and I'm staying," she snapped. "You could try it too, you know."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," he retorted.

"You might actually enjoy yourself, Ted," she said quietly. "If you tried. I'm going. See you later," she finished shortly, and before he could argue furthur, she had turned on her heel and was hurrying to get away from him.

Merry and Pippin were still nowhere to be found, and she sighed in irritation. She turned back around, but Ted had already vanished into the crowds. She was so preoccupied with finding someone that she knew that she stood quite still, scanning the crowds, ignoring the hobbits jostling her around. But her searching was interrupted by a loud whistle, signaling the take off of a firework, but it was much closer than usual.

One of the nearby tents had shot up off the ground, and Lila could only assume the firework had been set off inside the tent. "Merry and Pippin," she muttered to herself grimly, shaking her head.

Hobbits were gasping, laughing, and pointing as the firework sparkled against the night sky, climbing higher and higher. Everyone began clapping, until...

The firework took on the shape of a dragon, swooping in a gigantic circle in the sky and sparkling in a beautiful manner, but it was now headed much too low to the ground. Immediately, yells of delight became screams of panic, hobbits were running everywhere in the hurry to get out of the way, knocking over tables. There was an extremely fat hobbit crouched directly in front of Lila, and she nimbly side-stepped him, looked up, and saw that the firework was almost about to hit her.

Before she could think about anything, she felt a hand grab her arm and pull her roughly to the ground.

The dragon swooped over all of their heads, moved over the water and burst into many beautiful explosions far into the sky. The hobbits, seemingly have already forgotten their near-death experience, began cheering and clapping loudly at the show it provided. Lila, however, whipped around to face her savior and found herself face-to-face with the black-haired lad from the mixer dance.

"I didn't know if you were going to get down quickly enough for a moment there," he said pleasantly, with a smile.

"O-oh, yes I wasn't thinking clearly, I...who are you?" she asked uncomfortably, and her tone came out rather blunt.

He smiled wider. "Frodo Baggins," he answered. "And may I ask your name?"

"Oh," she said again, blinking in surprise. "Baggins. It's _your_ birthday."

"Well yes, Bilbo and I," he said, nodding. It was silent for a few more moments in which he waited expectantly. When she just stared back, he prodded, "Your name? I remember dancing with you."

Lila wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or if that perhaps meant she had stepped on his feet, but she felt herself flush all the same. "Lila Brockhouse," she said quietly.

He frowned, deep in thought. "I know that name."

"You do?" she asked, surprised.

"Merry and Pippin mentioned they might be bringing you, I think. Is that right?" He was staring at her with much more curiosity now.

"Yes!" she said, laughing.

"Where have they got to?" he asked, half to himself and half to Lila. "I haven't even seen them yet."

Suddenly, Lila pointed with a giggle. "I think they're in trouble for setting off that firework." Together, they both looked towards the back of the party, where they were looking surly and pouting at a large bearded man, who was carefully supervising as they washed dishes. They looked at each other again. "W-well I'd better go see them, I've been trying to find them for a while," she said. "Thank you again for pulling me down like that."

His eyes were twinkling. "It seems you have a knack for getting in situations like that. Merry saved your life in a pond, I hear."

Now, Lila was agitated. Had those two told him everything there was to know about her? She grimaced. "Yeah, I suppose. Happy Birthday, Frodo," she said. "It was wonderful meeting you."

He reached for her hand and kissed it, his blue eyes piercing hers. "Nice to meet you too," he answered, bowing a little. "I'm sure I will see you again soon." With that smile, he turned and left her standing there, utterly bemused at the entire interaction. When she had found the feeling again in her feet, she made her way over to Merry and Pippin, though she was a little unsure of the giant man sitting next to them.

The giant man paid her no attention, however, and Merry and Pippin waved at her grumpily as she approached.

"So that's what you took off to go do," she said, laughing. "Well, it looks like I'll be leaving soon, then. I don't much want to wander around by myself."

"Aw, don't go, Lila," Pippin whined. "We won't be here too much longer."

Merry stacked some plates and glared at the large man. "We'll see about that, Pippin." He looked back at Lila. "But still, you should stay for a while and meet some people."

"I already met your cousin," she said impatiently. "And my brother. My mother is pretty frantic. I never told her I was coming here."

Before Merry and Pippin could answer, there were loud cries of, "Speech! Speech!"

All three of them now looked towards the little stage, where Bilbo seemed to be reluctantly walking onto the stage, waving and smiling. The large man next to Merry and Pippin perked up, took his pipe out of his mouth, and began watching carefully. Lila spotted Frodo's curly black head in the very front row.

Everyone was clapping and cheering loudly again, probably thoroughly riled up from the numerous barrels of ale, one of them which Bilbo was choosing to stand on now to address the crowd. He spread his arms wide. "My dear Bagginses and Boffins," he began with a smile, arms wide. "Tooks, and Brandybucks. Grubbs - "

Here a loud yell cut in to his speech, which Lila could only assume was the party he just named.

"Chubbs - " Another yell from a different party.

"Hornblowers! Bolgers! Bracegirdles! Proudfoots!"

"Proudfeet!" A very fat old man with a pipe yelled, and the crowd dissolved into laughter.

Bilbo waved his arm at him, laughing. Then he stood up straighter and smiled at the crowd. "Today is an important day. Not only is it my 111th birthday - " There was a loud explosion of cheering at this "-but this is the day that my young heir Frodo also turns 33, and comes of age."

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone yelled, raising their mugs.

With much laughter among the crowd, Bilbo hopped down from his barrel and tugged on Frodo's arm, who stood up in an embarrassed sort of way and waved at everyone, who cheered all the more at him. When Bilbo finally returned to his barrel and Frodo resumed sitting, Bilbo was still smiling, but his voice was calmer. "Alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits." More cheers and clapping at this statement.

Bilbo continued. "I don't know half of you as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

It was quiet as the hobbits tried to work out this in their minds. Lila glanced at Merry and Pippin, who were staring at Bilbo, mouths wide open and looking confused, but Lila noticed that the large man looked amused, and was now puffing serenely on his pipe as he continued to watch Bilbo carefully.

"I...I have things to do," Bilbo muttered, almost inaudibly. The rest of his words were unintelligible for a few moments, but it was obvious he was whispering something. And then, he spoke up louder. "I regret to announce that this is the end. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell." He paused for half a second, and a small smile graced his features. "Goodbye."

And he disappeared into thin air.

Merry and Pippin both shouted, and Lila screamed. The party was in complete chaos now; hobbits were running around, desperately collecting their children and trying to get home before anything or anyone else disappeared. Everyone was now crowded around the front row, but Lila saw Frodo fighting his way through the sea of hobbits and trying to get back to the gate. She turned to Merry and Pippin. "What do we do?" she asked frantically.

The large man stood up immediately, towering over them all, and hurried away towards the gate. No one bothered him, and with his large strides, he reached it in about two seconds. He exited quickly and disappeared into the darkness.

"Who was that?" Lila finally asked Merry.

"Gandalf," Merry replied swiftly. "He's a wizard."

"A _wizard_?"

But they weren't paying her attention. They were looking around worriedly. "Do you think we should go find him?" Pippin asked Merry anxiously.

"Everyone is trying to find him right now," Merry answered, just as anxiously.

"Yes, but we're his cousins, I'm sure that he wants someone around to help him out - "

"Lila! There you are!"

All three of them turned to see Ted sprinting towards her. He leaned over, out of breath, and then stood up. "Let's get out of here. I heard everyone saying that Bilbo Baggins was cracked. That was probably some odd form of magic. I told you we shouldn't mix with these Hobbiton folk. Let's go, quick, before - "

"Ted!" she cut in. "What are you still _doing_ here? I thought you went home?"

He shuffled his feet. "Well, I...I guess I thought I'd take your advice."

"You had fun, didn't you?" she asked, grinning.

He glared at her. "Yes. Until now! So let's go. Now, quickly."

"I want to stay with Merry and Pippin. We're going to help sort things out."

"No Lila, you're going to come home with me right now."

She crossed her arms. "No, I won't."

"You can't walk home all by yourself."

"We'll take her home," Merry offered, speaking up.

Ted turned to face him. "You again," he muttered, frowning and shaking his head. "Fine. I don't like it, but fine. If my sister comes home hurt..."

He gave them both threatening gazes. Then he turned to Lila. "Don't make Mother and I stay up all night and worry. Hurry back." And with that, he too hurried towards the gate, pushing his way through the crowd.

Lila was speechless. That was light, for Ted. Normally, he would have insisted she come home until she give in, or else carry her, especially after something like that happened. Maybe he had fun at the party after all. He still wasn't going to be happy when she got home, and neither was mother.

"Let's go," Merry muttered, and she and Pippin followed him out of the crowds.

It took them a while, but they finally reached the gate and went up the path. Merry led the way up to the first house, which was an extremely grand hole and which Lila could only guess belonged to the Bagginses. Hobbits were crowded outside, trying to see into the windows, or else crowded around the door.

"Move it," Merry muttered angrily to the lot of them as he got to the door.

Whether they recognized him as a relative of Frodo's or were just afraid of his surly demeanor, the hobbits scattered to allow them entry into the house. "Bag End," Pippin whispered in Lila's ear. "Bilbo and Frodo's hole."

Merry threw open the front door. "Frodo?" he called.

Frodo's curly head was bent over a trunk, and he appeared to be rifling through it. He jumped, closed it, and stood up to face them. He ran his hands through his black locks, apparently relieved. "Oh," he said. "It's just you." His eyes were lined with exhaustion already, and he looked very worn and sad. He began speaking before anyone could ask a single question.

"Bilbo has gone to stay with the Elves in Rivendell," Frodo explained tonelessly, avoiding their gaze. "He left me all of his possessions. Gandalf just came to explain."

Lila was quickly beginning to see that the Baggins family had vast extensions to the outside world - Elves, and Wizards! Merry and Pippin did not look surprised, and she wondered how much she didn't know about them. Had she gotten in over her head with these Hobbiton folk, after all?

Merry walked forward and clapped him on the back, but Pippin remained a few paces behind with Lila, waiting. "It'll be all right, Frodo," he said gruffly.

"He didn't even say goodbye," Frodo said quietly.

Lila could see that Frodo was very upset, and very fond of Bilbo indeed. _What a thing to happen on his birthday!_ she thought sympathetically. "We'll stay here with you tonight," Pippin added in. "We just have to walk Lila home, and then we'll be right back."

"I think I'll stay now," Merry said. "If you both don't mind."

Lila and Pippin both shook their heads, and Frodo nodded. "I'll make some tea. Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay longer?" He was addressing Lila directly now.

"My mother is beginning to worry, I think," she mumbled, unable to meet his blue gaze. The truth was, she desperately did want to stay longer and find out more about these Bagginses and what had happened, but she felt as if she were intruding on the cousins' time together. In any case, if she left now, her mother would be less likely to lock Lila in the house for weeks.

"All right," Frodo conceded.

Lila felt as if she should say something more. "Happy Birthday again," she said. "I-it was a wonderful party. And I'm sorry about your Uncle."

He waved his hand as if it wasn't a big deal, but she could see the worry in his big blue eyes. "I'll be fine. Thank you." He smiled at her. She could feel his eyes on her as Pippin led her towards the door, but she was unable to turn around and take one last look at them, for fear her legs would give way.


	5. The Ditch

The Ditch

Lila checked the pond every day, but did not see Merry and Pippin for a good week. She had half a mind to go to Hobbiton, but her pride held her back. She did not want to go to them if they didn't want to see her. However, she spent the time moping around the house, and her mother got so tired of seeing her at it that she sent her out often to do chores.

Lila's mother had not been entirely happy that Lila had gone to the party without Lila informing her, of course. But to Lila's surprise, Ted vouched for her and said that he stayed with her at the party, finding it a pleasant enough environment. Their mother did not argue the point with Ted, and Lila had been very grateful that her brother had led her out of those dangerous waters. Ted was probably the reason that Lila was allowed to go outside right now.

When she finally did see Merry and Pippin one day, they were lounging there as if they had never been gone. Star was tethered to a nearby tree, next to another pony that Lila didn't recognize. They were both lying on the ground, pipes in their mouths, and when they heard her foosteps, they turned and grinned at her.

"Where have you been?" she demanded, her tone scolding. "It's been a long time since I've seen you."

"With Frodo," Merry said simply. "And unpacking."

She pouted. "I could have helped."

"Sorry," Merry said, frowning. "I thought maybe Frodo might just want family right now, with Bilbo gone and everything. It was a nasty shock for him."

"I'm sure it was," Lila murmured, shaking her head with pity.

"He said he danced with you," Pippin piped up.

"He did?" she asked blankly.

"Yes," Merry answered. "Well, now that you've been waiting so long to see us, I figured I could let you ride Star all the way to Hobbiton." He grinned at her. "What do you say?"

"Hobbiton?" Lila asked. "Again?"

"You enjoyed yourself and you know it," Pippin supplied. They both gave her wicked smiles.

"Fine," she snapped. "Let's go." She walked over to Star, who stared at her with wide eyes. "Missed me, didn't you?" Lila whispered to her, patting her long nose. She glanced over at the other horse. "Who is this?"

"Mine," Pippin answered. "Well, mine and Pearl's. Her name is Misty."

"Misty," Lila repeated quietly, running her hand over the other horse's nose as well.

"You can ride Star, since she already knows you," Merry offered, swinging himself up onto Misty with ease. "And Pippin and I will follow." Pippin too lifted himself onto Misty and they both looked at Lila expectantly.

"Oh, all right," she snapped, pushing herself up onto Star. Star shifted below her, clearly restless, and Lila turned and grinned at the two boys. "Care to race?"

"Race?" Merry yelped. "Remember what happened last time you went fast?"

"Plus, there are two of us and only one of you," Pippin said. "Not fair at all."

"Suit yourself," Lila said, and with one last wicked smile, she lifted her heels high and dug them into Star's side once more. Star reared, but Lila had been expecting this - she clung on tightly, hoping to look like an expert but knowing she probably looked as if she were about to fall off. Immediately, Star began galloping away as fast as she could.

Without Merry on, Lila found that staying on Star was much easier and more bearable than before. Of course, she really had no idea how she was going to slow down, but she pushed the thought from her mind as the wind whipped through her hair, and Merry and Pippin's exasperated shouts faded behind her.

She found it hard to care that Merry would probably kill her when she was done riding Star. When she was going this fast, it was hard to care about anything. She felt so invincible, she almost had half a mind to never stop, but to continue on down the road forever.

As she approached Hobbiton and began thundering down the countryside, she tried to look behind her, but she had no idea where Merry and Pippin were. They had faded long into the horizon. When she turned back around, however, she found that Star was headed straight for a ditch. "Oh no," she muttered. As soon as it became clear what Star was about to do, she shouted, "Star, no!"

Not having the sense to pull on the reins and stop her, Lila had to sit helpless as Star took a flying leap to clear the ditch. And even though she had been expecting it, Lila gave a yell of surprise and flew off the side, landing in the ditch with a very dull thud.

Every bone in her body was protesting at her now. She felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her shoulder. And she tried to sit up, but dizziness overtook her and she toppled to the ground like a rag doll. She lay quite still, tears beginning to form in her eyes from the pain, and tried to think of what to do.

"Oi!"

A loud shout from above the ditch notified her that someone had in fact witnessed her accident. A sandy-haired, slightly chubbier hobbit peered over the edge of the ditch at her. He nearly fell over in his haste to get down to her. "You all right, Miss?" he asked, sounding concerned as he knelt by her side.

"My...my shoulder," she muttered. "And my head."

He put his finger in front of her eyes and moved it side to side. She tried very hard to follow his finger with her eyes. He frowned. "I think you hit your head pretty good," he concluded. "I have herbs, but...my hole is quite a way from here. I'm going to take you to a friend of mine that lives right nearby so I can run and go get the herbs and maybe a doctor, all right?"

"Okay," she said faintly, unable to really listen to what he was saying.

He bent over and picked her up, and she gasped in protest when her shoulder sent another thrill of pain through her. "Sorry," he said quietly. "But I've got to move you."

She could tell he was being very careful not to jostle her as he walked, but he was also trying to move quickly. He was breathing hard by the time they had arrived at a very large hole, with a green door and a bright yellow knocker in the middle. It looked vaguely familiar, but Lila's head was pounding so forcefully that she couldn't put her mind on it at the moment.

Star was following them up to the gate, but she stopped in the road as the hobbit opened it and carried Lila carefully up the path. The hobbit knocked on the door, and after a few moments there were footsteps and the door was swung open.

Lila couldn't help but gasp out loud again as the blue eyes of Frodo Baggins took in his visitors. How could she not have remembered? Her head pounded even more vigorously.

"Sam!" she heard Frodo exclaim, as if from a long way off. "What happened?"

The black was beginning to form around her eyelids now, so much that she couldn't concentrate on Sam's response. She did hear Frodo say, "Don't let her fall asleep, Sam!"

Next thing, Sam the hobbit was shaking her, and she was being carried down the hall. "Sorry Miss," he said in a low voice. "But Mr. Frodo here says that you shouldn't let someone who hit their head to fall asleep right away in case they don't wake up again."

"B-but I'm tired..."

"I know Miss, but keep your eyes open."

She did, with a great effort. She focused on the hallways of Frodo's home as they followed him to a bedroom. The wall had a large map of Middle Earth on it, the bed sheets were fluffy and white, and the window was slightly open to let in the warm air and the breeze.

Frodo disappeared into the kitchen for a moment, and returned with a glass of water as Sam lay her down gently on the bed. "Don't fall asleep," he warned again, and Lila would have shouted at him if she had the energy. Didn't he understand how much her head hurt? "I'll be right back, Mr. Frodo," he said to Frodo, turning and nodding at him.

Frodo nodded too. "Hurry, Sam."

After Sam had rushed out of the door, Lila heard the front door slam. She cringed because it seemed so loud.

"What happened?" Frodo asked.

"Didn't he tell you?" Lila snapped unmercifully, finding too much effort in talking to want to explain.

"I'm testing your memory," he said quietly. "And trying to keep you awake."

He handed her a glass of water, which she took a drink of with difficulty before answering. "I fell off of Star," she said tonelessly. "I was racing Merry and Pippin and I lost them. Star tried to jump over the ditch and I panicked and forgot how to stop her. I've never jumped before and I fell off. My shoulder hurts," she rasped, and he handed her the glass again.

After she took a drink, he leaned forward. "Which one?" he asked gently.

"My right," she said, cringing. "I feel like there's broken glass under my skin."

He reached for the short sleeve of her dress to pull it up, and she was surprised at even herself when she jumped and cringed away from him. His hands snapped back and his wide eyes took her in. "Do you mind if I look?" he asked finally. "I want to help you."

"I know, I-of course I don't mind," Lila said breathlessly, unable to explain her strange behavior.

Carefully, Frodo pulled back the sleeve and Lila was stunned to see the tiniest bit of bone sticking out of her shoulder. "It is dislocated," Frodo said. "The doctor will fix it when he gets here. In the meantime, you need to just stay awake. I think you hit your head pretty hard." He looked uncertain. "I think I'm supposed to test your memory, but

I don't know a lot about you..." He thought for a moment, and Lila was silent, eyes closing of their own accord.

"Lila!" he said sharply. She opened her eyes to see his blue eyes again, which were watching her with growing worry. "I'll ask you questions to keep you awake and thinking. Let's see...what do you remember from my birthday? What happened while you were there?"

"Dragon firework," she answered immediately, even though a haze was settling over her. "It almost hit everybody. You pulled me down. And I met Bilbo. Merry and Pippin were in trouble for the firework. Ted was there. He stayed there. Bilbo disappeared and you were sad. There was a large man. A wizard! How do you know a wizard, Frodo?"

He was watching her babbling carefully throughout this speech, but now he chuckled. "Gandalf is an old friend of Bilbo's."

"How?"

"Adventures together some years ago, before I even came to Bag End."

"Is that what the map is from?" She pointed with her left arm at the map she had noticed on the wall.

"Yes. Bilbo loves maps." Frodo stood up and pointed at a spot on the map. "Bilbo went here, to the Lonely Mountain. He went with Dwarves and defeated the Dragon Smaug." He smiled at nobody in particular, still staring at the map. "He told wonderful stories," he said finally, looking back at her, his blue eyes sad.

"You miss him, don't you?" Lila asked. Her tact had long since disappeared with the pain in her head. It was odd - normally, she knew she would not be saying as much, but she found she didn't care right now about what came out of her mouth.

"Yes, I do," he said honestly, turning back to sit on the edge of her bed again.

"My shoulder feels a little better," she said, sounding surprised.

"That's because I put herbs in your water," Frodo said, smiling.

"Do you get lonely in this hole now, without Bilbo?" Lila blurted out. Her mind felt like it was going ten different directions.

"Yes," he said quietly. "Sometimes."

"If you ever go to visit him, I want to go too," she said, trailing off, picturing Elves now in her mind.

She heard him chuckle again , but her vision had blurred so much that she could no longer see him. "As long as you don't have to ride a horse, right?"

She sighed, but smiled a little. "That was mean."

"Always a knack for trouble," he said, and she swore she heard amusement in his tone rather than something accusatory. "Who is Ted?" he continued.

Before she could reply, she heard the front door open and close once more. She did not see, but heard the doctor enter the room, and when he opened her eyes, he was standing over her. "She has had herbs, you say?" he said to both Sam and Frodo, who were both standing in the room. They both nodded, and the doctor pursed his lips.

"Good. Because this won't be very pleasant."

"What won't?" Lila said fearfully, though her voice sounded faint to even herself. She felt the doctor grip her hand of her bad arm, and she yelped a little.

"What are you doing?" Frodo asked sharply.

"Popping it back," the doctor replied grimly.

The front door opened and closed again, and this time Merry and Pippin's voices drifted through the air. Lila was wide awake now, breathing fast and very frightened. Sam glanced at Frodo. "I'll tell them to wait a moment." He hurried out of the room. Frodo was now staring between the doctor and Lila, eyes wide.

"One," the doctor began.

"Now hold on," Lila protested.

"Two..."

The doctor pulled upwards with a sickening crack. Lila had never felt so much pain in her life; all she knew was pain, all she could feel was the pain in her shoulder, and the stabbing sensation pulsed at her until the black took over her vision. She couldn't hear anything over her deafening shrieks, and the last thing she saw was Frodo rushing forward, and then the rest of the hobbits entering the room behind him before she succumbed to the pain.


	6. Questions in the Dark

a/n~ My darlings! Hello! Yes, I've updated! Now, if you'll notice, there were six chapters before, and now I'm updating again to chapter six, because I deleted one and combined them together before this. I also went back and did some slight editing and there's a few little bits that weren't in the before, so I would suggest going back and reading the first five before continuing onto this one. Also, it would be good to refresh your memories since it has taken me so long to update ;)

I hope you all get the alerts for this, since it is updating to chapter six again! I don't know how that works...anyway...happy reading, my dears!

* * *

><p>Chapter Six<p>

Questions in the Dark

Lila's eyes fluttered open to a sunlit room.

She was alone, and took the time to gaze around her. The room was a dark yellow, with a dresser across and a side table next to the bed. There was a very large map of Middle Earth on the wall and she took the time to stare at it. She wished she could get closer. Things were written on it, though she wasn't sure if it was Frodo or Bilbo, or if the map was already like this.

She moved to sit up, and instantly yelped out in pain and leaned back against the pillows. Her arm was in a sling and held close to her body, and it felt like there was broken glass underneath her shoulder. And whenever she moved a sharp pain shot up her back.

The door to the room opened.

"Ted!" she exclaimed.

He looked grim, and crossed the room to sit in a chair that was sitting by the bedside. "See what happens?" was all he said.

"Oh, don't give me a lecture right now Ted, I can hardly bear it," she snapped, looking away from him and straight at the wall.

"But you need it. What were you thinking? They said you took off on the horse alone."

"They did, did they?" said Lila, teeth gritted. Was Merry an idiot? He could be angry at her all he wanted, but tell Ted these things, they get back to Mother, and she would just end up locking Lila in her room and never letting her out.

Ted sighed, shaking his head. "Look, I've just been waiting around for you to wake up. I'm glad you're ok. I have to go back to work and do some explaining, but I'll be back to visit again, all right? Mother is busy too, but I've been able to keep her updated."

"Aren't I coming back with you?" she asked, sitting up a little bit, gasping, and sitting back once more.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Question answered?"

"Yeah," Lila grumbled.

"I don't much like leaving you here, but he seems ok. Frodo, I mean. I'll still be back every day to see you, all right?"

"How long will I be like this?" Lila asked, horrified at being stuck in a room for more than a few days.

His face was still, knowing her fear. "I'll let Frodo explain everything the doctor said," he muttered. "I have to go." He kissed her on the forehead. "Don't do anything rash." And with that, he turned and left the room. Lila had only a few seconds to feel indignant before Frodo entered the room, carrying a tray.

"Hey," said Frodo.

"Hey," said Lila, a little cautiously.

He sat in the chair that Ted had just vacated. "Your brother has been very worried about you. Here." He was handing her a biscuit, which she took in her left hand with difficulty. He took a class of water and the rest of the biscuits and set them on the bedside table. "How do you feel?"

"Terrible," Lila said. "What happened?"

"Well, after the doctor popped your arm back, you passed out. And the medicine you were given made you stay asleep for about two days. Your brother showed up here in the middle of the night, quite frantic. He left once to tell your mother what happened, then otherwise didn't leave the hole. Merry and Pippin are here quite often too, when they aren't unpacking Merry's things. It's almost time for afternoon tea, they should be here soon."

"How long will I be like this?" she asked, voice wavering a little.

"I don't know," Frodo said quietly, gazing at her. "At least a week. Maybe more."

"_More_?" Lila exclaimed, putting her head back and frowning.

"You don't like sitting still, do you?" Frodo asked her quietly.

This reminded her of Ted's accusations that she was like her father, and she didn't bother to look at him or answer.

Frodo sighed and stood up. "I'm going to go start the tea and we'll come back and have it with you."

Really, Lila was too miserable to have company at the moment, but she nodded anyway and he departed. About half an hour later, there was a knock on the door and Merry, Pippin, and Frodo joined her in the room with a tray of tea. She tried to sit up further to drink better, but Frodo and Merry had to gently pull her more upright, with a lot of pained gasps.

When they were all sitting down, Merry said, "You look too miserable right now, I can't even scold you."

"Good," Lila breathed, wincing at her still throbbing back from the previous movements.

"You are quite lucky you didn't break your back though, you know," he said. "Sam showed me where you fell and it was a very, very long ways."

She cringed. "Yeah, I can feel that. I thought we were going to skip the lecture?"

Pippin and Frodo chuckled, and Merry shot them a look. "We are for now." But he smiled at her.

Lila found it exhausting to join in the conversation, so she mostly listened to them talk about the progress they had made with Merry's hole, and some gossip about Sam and somebody called Rosie at the Green Dragon the other night. Frodo was the first to notice her eyes were starting to droop, and he insisted she take more sleeping medicine. She was too exhausted to feel suspicious of the medicine, and obediently took it.

She woke again when it was dark. There was a food tray by her bedside table, but she found, with horror, that she couldn't quite reach it, it hurt her so to stretch over. Being proud, she tried too far once, and cried out and lay back. Tears began to fill her eyes at the pain in her body.

Frodo must have heard her cries, because he came hurrying in the room. "What is it? Do you need anything?" He sounded worried.

"I can't reach the food or water," she whispered, hating every minute of this.

"I'm sorry Lila," he answered, and handed her a cookie first, then the glass of water so she could take a drink. "I will stay here with you." He sat resolutely in the chair.

"No!" she said. "I'm fine now."

"What if you need something? Here, you can wake me up if I fall asleep but maybe not if I'm away," he said gently.

"You are not sleeping in that chair," Lila said stoutly. "Go away."

She saw a smile cross his face at her stubbornness and his blue eyes danced a little in the darkness. "No. I'm staying here with you."

Lila glared at him, but he just smiled wider. "You aren't tired?" he asked. "Did you just wake up?"

"Yes," Lila hissed, knowing she would have to make conversation. Then she felt a little bad. Frodo was taking such good care of her, feeding her, keeping her and Ted...she sighed. "I'm not tired yet."

He seemed to notice the change in her tone. "Tell me about yourself Lila, only if you wish. I'm quite curious."

"What about?" she asked wearily, hoping it wouldn't matter to him where she was from.

"You're just so restless. It reminds me of Bilbo a bit. You're from Pincup, right?"

So Ted had already told him. Or maybe it was Merry and Pippin. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. At least she didn't have to do it, she supposed. "Yeah, I am," she answered quietly.

"And you live with your mother and Ted?"

"Yes." Her voice became steely, not wanting to discuss her father, and he seemed to notice, because he changed the subject.

"How old are you, Lila?"

"I'm twenty-eight."

He nodded. "So quite close to all of us, then. Do you like Hobbiton?"

His voice was friendly, and she was growing more comfortable with his questioning. He really was just curious about her, and he didn't care that she was from Pincup either. "Yeah, I guess," she answered honestly. "I've only been here twice though. Merry and Pippin took me to the Green Dragon once, and then that time at your party. It really was a great party by the way," she said sincerely.

He seemed surprised that she had spoken so much at one time, and then his eyes darkened just the tiniest bit at her last sentence, and then it was gone. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said with a smile. "Was that your first time dancing?"

"Was it that obvious?" she asked, unable to help laughing a little.

"No, actually." He grinned. "I'm asking because I had noticed you earlier, the way Merry was practically forcing you over to dance. And I remember being surprised he had to, because you danced so wonderfully."

Lila's cheeks tinged pink at the compliment. "Thank you."

"And horses? You like them too? When ditches aren't involved of course," he said, eyes sparkling.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "I've always wanted one. I've tried saving for one, but - " And she stopped talking abruptly, not wanting to complain to Frodo about family things. But on the contrary, he seemed very interested in what she was about to say.

"But what?" he asked gently.

"Well I...my mother always wants my spare money instead of Ted's, you see. Ted wants to become a doctor, and I want a horse. She thinks horses are dangerous and well..." She trailed off, embarrassed.

But Frodo just looked solemn. "That doesn't sound fair to me at all," he said, staring at her.

She didn't want to tell him any more. That maybe her mother had a reason for worrying, because someone had already left them once. So she just shrugged and nodded, and he once more took the hint. "If you would like more sleeping medicine so you aren't on a strange schedule, I can give you some."

She nodded. "Sure."

He made her eat one more cookie, then gave her more medicine. "Thanks," she sighed, the drowsiness already overtaking her. "For everything."

"My pleasure," he said quietly. "And in case you wake up, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Even in her haze of sleep, the sentences stabbed her heart in a way she hadn't thought possible. She remembered the exact same words, coming out of her father's mouth whenever she was sick. She was falling asleep quickly, and just mumbled, "Eventually you will."

* * *

><p>The next four days were the worst days for Lila. She was unable to move or do anything for herself.<p>

Merry and Pippin came by to entertain her at least once a day, and on the third day, announced that Merry was all settled in and that once she could walk, she could come see it too. Ted also visited at least once a day, sometimes more, which to Lila was so sweet, because the trek was such a long one for him. He brought news from Pincup and various bits of small news from around the house.

Sam Gamgee also came to Bag End once, and when he came to say hello, she thanked him for rescuing her. She found him very polite and funny, the way he always called Frodo "Mr." He was out in the garden that day and would come back soon.

Frodo of course was the one with her the majority of the time, though a lot of times her mood was so surly and horrible that he let her be, leaving her books to read. Sometimes he came in to talk about them once she had finished them, or sometimes told her stories of Bilbo. He never did ask her more questions about her like he did that one night, and she never plucked up the courage to ask if he heard from Bilbo nowadays.

She was finding that she was fast liking Frodo as much as Merry and Pippin, though he was a very different person from the two of them. The small bits of Sam Gamgee she had known she liked too, and overall she was coming to the conclusion that maybe this place wasn't so bad, after all.

The doctor came by at the end of four days to tell her that she might be able to walk again in another four days or so, but until she can walk, he insisted that she did not take a carriage home to Pincup. The jostling of the road, he said, would not be good for her back.

After this, Lila was determined to start walking. She could sit up in bed now without any pain, even move her legs over, but standing took such an effort, and still hurt a little. She didn't dare move her feet for fear of injuring herself farther and being stuck in the room even longer.

Finally, Sam came by one day and Frodo insisted that she was going to kill someone if she was kept inside any longer, so he lifted her up very carefully and carried her outside to where Sam was working in the garden, and set her down next to the growing pumpkins he was tending.

"Sam can garden in anything, you know," Frodo commented, also sitting in the garden with them.

"I've always wanted to try starting one, but the soil in Pincup is impossible," Lila said.

"Tell you what, Miss Lila," Sam said, wiping his brow and sitting back. Though it wasn't too warm outside, it wasn't cold yet either. "Next time I'm planting here, you come by and we can build up this garden together, if you would like."

"I would love to, Sam," said Lila.

And this became a routine as well. Reading, discussing books, watching Sam garden, sometimes just sitting outside in the sunshine, until another few days passed, and slowly, with Frodo, Merry, and Pippin's help, Lila was able to slowly walk, and then finally at a normal pace.

And Lila found she was not quite ready to go home yet, she liked her friends here so. But of course, they promised to meet her at the pond soon, and she knew she could come back whenever she wanted, though the long walk still might have to wait a while for her.

Ted came by Bag End the morning she was going to leave, and Frodo ordered the carriage to take them both home, even though Lila protested. Merry and Pippin were there too, helping her into the carriage, and she leaned out and looked at them all. "Thank you for everything," she said sincerely.

Ted too popped his head out. "Yes," he said. "Thank you for taking such good care of her." He was addressing only Frodo, and something told Lila he still didn't trust Merry and Pippin all the way yet, probably because of the horse incidents.

They all called out goodbye and said they would see her soon, and she waved until she couldn't see them anymore.

"You really like them, don't you?" Ted asked.

"You do, don't you?"

"Merry and Pippin get you into danger, but they're all all right," he said offhandedly. "So rest up, Lila. Mother will be waiting when you get home."

She frowned. Ted was right - this had potential to be a very unpleasant reunion.


End file.
